Budget allocation for sports comes down

The budget allocation for sports this year has gone down from last year's Rs 3,706 crore to Rs 3,565 crore, a major chunk of which has been earmarked for the Commonwealth Games scheduled for October 3 to 14.

Of the total allocation announced by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Rs 2,069 crore has been set aside for the Games.

Rs 1,175.54 crore of this amount would go to the Games Organising Committee, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

For the upgradation and preparation of stadia and training venues, the government has allocated Rs 433.98 crore in total.

"The Commonwealth Games are scheduled in Delhi. The provision is meant for upgradation/renovation of SAI stadia, tennis stadia, upgradation/creation of training venues and preparation of teams for the teams," the finance ministry said.

Rs 82 crore have been marked for the "infrastructure" development for the High Definition coverage of the Games, the build-up to which has been marred by construction delays and organisational bloopers.

Among other allocations, Rs 11.50 crore have been set aside for the National Dope Test Laboratory and a further Rs 3 crore has been earmarked for the National Anti-Doping Agency.

The government has also earmarked Rs 50 lakh as its contribution to the World Anti-Doping Agency.